Giving to Gods work

‘Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!’ (2 Corinthians 9:15, TNIV Version)

This verse sums up the main motivation for Christian giving: thankfulness. We want to express our thanks to God for our salvation in Jesus and because everything we have comes from him.

In a culture dominated by materialism and individualism, there is something distinctively radical about Christian giving. When Christians make material sacrifices in order to benefit others they are living contrary to the spirit of our age. But why do they do this? King David observes in 1 Chronicles 29 that everything belongs to God. Therefore all our resources must be at God’s disposal and used in his service; giving financially is just one expression of this. The Old Testament people of God gave a tithe of ten per cent (Matthew 23:23) and many Christians find this a helpful benchmark for their own giving. But the New Testament has more to teach us.

According to 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, Christian giving should be:

Motivated by grace (8:1–9) Christian giving is a response to the gospel of grace, in which we receive extraordinary, undeserved blessings from God, and is itself a means of God’s grace to us. Sacrificial giving appropriately reflects this gospel and responds to it.

In proportion to our means (8:12–15) We give according to the riches God has given us. Even though her gift was small, Jesus commended the widow because she gave extravagantly (Luke 21).

Carefully managed and administered (8:16–24) To guard against any suggestion of financial mismanagement.

Willing and cheerful (9:1–7) Because God loves a cheerful giver who gives gratefully in response to God.

A source of spiritual blessing (9:8–11) God promises that grace will abound to us as we give ourselves generously in his service.

A source of thanksgiving to God (9:12–14) Christian giving is a huge source of encouragement. As we give, and others give, thanksgiving returns to God and he is glorified by such a clear demonstration of his grace at work in people’s lives.

Regular and private In addition, our giving should be regular (1 Corinthians 16:2) and private. Jesus tells us that Christian giving should be between us and God (Matthew 6:1–5). It mustn’t be motivated by a desire to impress others, but should arise from private thought and prayer (and discussion within a marriage).

Giving generously both in money and time, from the resources God gives us, is a key part of our discipleship, and is key to building a church community here in Coventry which glorifies God in everything it does. As a church we also believe it is right to support other Christian organisations in Coventry and beyond.